Local advocates want alcoholic energy drinks banned

Four Loko and Joose — these beverages might not be familiar to a parent shopping with an underage son or daughter. But packaged in cans and containing stimulating ingredients similar to energy drinks like Monster and Red Bull, there is only one difference: They contain alcohol.

Several local public health advocates and safety groups are lobbying to get the products taken off the market in Michigan — or at least get the packaging changed — because of concerns over underage drinking and the danger of mixing stimulants with alcohol. The advocates lobbied the Michigan Liquor Control Commission at its March 11 meeting about their concerns.

“Parents in Ingham County are unaware of these products and are under the false belief that they are safe,” said Mike Tobias of the Ingham Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. “We trust the Liquor Control Commission will do what is right and put the health and safety of our children and citizens first.’

Tobias said that products such as Joose are marketed by mimicking the non-alcoholic energy drinks, and use non-traditional media like Facebook and Twitter to hype the products.

Tobias understands that bars sell energy drinks such as Red Bull to mix with alcohol, but he said that is not what he is concerned about.

“Mixing alcohol with stimulants is never a good idea, but the main issue we have is with prepackaged products only,” Tobias said.

Peter Marino, a spokesman for the Miller/ Coors Brewing Co., which makes Sparks, said the company voluntarily removed caffeine and other stimulants from the malt beverage in 2008. Marino said the company supports removing stimulants from all similar drinks, but could not answer questions about the packaging.

“The products Four Loko and Joose still have the caffeine and stimulants in them,” said Marino. “We are certainly supportive of Michigan taking the stimulants out of these products.”

Joose is manufactured by La Mesa, Calif.based United Brands Co., and Four Loko is made by the Chicago-based Drink Four Brewing Co. Neither company responded to requests for comment.

Harriet Dean, a member of the Ingham Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, said that the packaging of the drinks is a problem because store clerks often confuse the products with non-alcoholic energy drinks.

“Parents can’t tell the difference either,” shesaid. “So you have a situation where the youth is consuming thisbeverage and their parents can’t tell the difference. We’re notsuggesting the Liquor Control Commission ban the ones that don’tcontain alcohol, but by delisting the ones that do, we eliminate theproblem of not being able to tell the difference.”

Thereis also research to support that stimulants mixed with alcohol can bedangerous. A study by Dr. Mary Claire O’Brien of Wake Forest Universityin North Carolina shows that college students who mix alcohol andenergy drinks are more likely to be injured, sexually assaulted ordrive drunk than those who only drink alcohol. O’Brien also discoveredthat college students who reported drinking energy drinks premixed withalcohol have twice as many episodes of weekly drunkenness.

Accordingto the Center of Substance Abuse Research at the University ofMaryland, caffeine can cover up the negative effects of alcoholintoxication, increasing the chance that users will take part inpotentially risky behaviors because they do not feel drunk.

MarieHansen, chairwoman of the Ingham County Substance Abuse PreventionCoalition chairperson, and a member of the group Michigan AlcoholPolicy Promoting Health and Safety, said delisting prepackagedalcoholic energy drinks is one of the issues being looked at in termsof trying to affect youth drinking.

“We’retalking young people, ages 18 to 24, and high risk drinking, but thegreatest issue is how it’s promoted, who it’s targeting and then whatit says if the state sanctions the selling of this,” said Hansen. “Wehave no doubt people will continue to mix the two. But the idea wouldbe that if we don’t sanction the selling of these beverages, thenpeople may question themselves, and ask is this agood idea?”

Mike Lashbrook, president of the Michigan Beer and WineWholesalers Association, said the association has not gotten involvedwith any position on the issue, but is waiting for action from federalagencies.

“It’s not really clear if the Liquor Control Commission can do anything without legislation,” Lashbrook said.

Lashbrook also said that retail outlets need to be more careful if the beverages are being sold to minors.

“That’swrong if it’s happening,” said Lashbrook. “Maybe they should bepackaged differently, and clerks should be trained not to mix theseproducts up with regular energy drinks.”

LanceBinoniemi, executive director of the Michigan Licensed BeverageAssociation, said his group focuses on bars and restaurants and has noofficial position, but he said there should be more education on thesetypes of products. Binoniemi said a training program offeredby the association is looking into adding a section that will helpidentify these types of products, especially in off-premise places likeparty stores and gas stations.

“TheLiquor Control Commission has the right to regulate the labels of theseproducts,” he said. “We are going to be adding this section to theprogram within the next few months to include these products so clerkscan easily recognize them and not accidentally sell them to minors.”

TheLiquor Control Commission did not make a decision on the drinks at theMarch 11 meeting. But Liquor Control Commission chairwoman Nida Samonasaid the commission will hold a meeting and discuss this issue furtherand try to gain access to additional information about its next step.